Arsenal given the runaround by Barcelona’s high-class show
Barcelona
Mariona 31, Alexia 42, Oshoala 47, Martens 41 Arsenal
Maanum 74
Att: 2,968
Defending champions Barcelona gave English league leaders Arsenal the runaround in their opening match in Group C of the Women’s Champions League as the Catalan side demonstrated their credentials for retaining their title.
First-half goals from Spain’s Mariona and Alexia, who were both magnificent, plus cool second-half finishes from the lightning-quick Asisat Oshoala and Lieke Martens gave the home side a 4-1 win which highlighted how high the bar has been raised by continental Europe’s best sides.
Frida Maanum netted a closerange consolation for Arsenal, who suffered their first defeat of the season, but there was no shame in the loss, nor any need for them to panic. With five games remaining in the group, they still have an excellent chance of qualifying.
“Barcelona are a top side, they’re European champions for a reason,” Arsenal’s Scotland midfielder Kim Little said. “When you’re playing against the best teams in Europe, you have to minimise their strengths, and we probably didn’t do that enough. That’s something we’ll all reflect on. I have great belief in our squad that we have the capabilities to produce better performances and get closer to that level.”
For classy Barcelona, this was the first game of their defence since easing past Chelsea with a 4-0 victory in May’s final last season. Both sides are enjoying 100 per cent winning starts to their respective domestic league campaigns and, before their trip to Catalunya, Arsenal had won an impressive nine games out of nine in all competitions under their new Swedish head coach, Jonas Eidevall, but this game brought an altogether different test.
The first major warning came when Mariona fizzed a vicious strike from an angle narrowly wide and then Nigeria’s Oshoala dragged a low effort wide after getting in behind the Arsenal defence. Scotland’s Jen Beattie did well to block a fierce Mariona drive, before the Spain forward flicked a header just beyond the far post.
The inevitable opening goal came when a bouncing drive from Oshoala from just outside the penalty area was only parried by Arsenal keeper Manuela Zinsberger, whose save bounced straight to Mariona. She was the first to react, and it was fitting that the 25-year-old should break the deadlock to cap her skilful and energetic display.
Three minutes before the break, Oshoala used her pace to beat the offside trap and dart towards the byline before unselfishly laying back a well-weighted ball that met the run of Alexia, who clipped in the hosts’ second.
Barcelona completed 293 passes to Arsenal’s 130 in the first half, while Eidevall’s team failed to register a shot, on or off target. The second half did not start in better fashion for the visitors, who conceded the third goal when former Liverpool and Arsenal forward Oshoala – who won the Women’s FA Cup with the north Londoners in 2016 – surged clear of Leah Williamson and slotted the ball past Zinsberger when one-on-one.
Eidevall made a triple change to replace all of his front three, and United States star Tobin Heath quickly struck a low shot wide before England forward Nikita Parris
had a low shot cleared off the line. Moments later, Heath’s inswinging cross to the back post from a free-kick on the right was diverted home by combative Norway midfielder Maanum, to give Arsenal a faint glimmer. But Holland winger Martens skipped in behind
Arsenal’s defence to clip home the fourth.
Zinsberger then did well to save an Alexia penalty with the last act of the game, but Barcelona cared little.
Player-of-the-match Mariona said: “There is a long season ahead of us. [Our] aim is to get all the titles won that we did last year – the intention is to repeat it.”
On the evidence of last night’s brilliant showing, they will take some stopping.
Barcelona (4-3-3) Panos 6; Torrejon 7, Paredes 7, Maria Leon 7, Crnogorcevic 8 (Rolfo 77); Bonmati 8, Guijarro 7, Alexia 9; Hansen 8, Oshoala 8 (Martens 71), Mariona 9 (Vilamala 83).
Subs Coll (g), Font, Fernandez, Melanie, Pina, Hermoso, Ouhabi, Pereira, Engen. Booked Paredes.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Zinsberger 5; Maritz 5, Williamson 5, Beattie 5, Oatley 5; Walti 4 (Nobbs 71), Little 6 (Iwabuchi 79), Maanum 6; Mead 6 (Heath 55), Miedema 5 (Foord 56), Mccabe 6 (Parris 56). Subs Williams (g), Cull, Wubben-moy, Patten, Schnaderbeck. Booked Mead, Mccabe, Foord, Nobbs, Parris.
Referee Jana Adamkova (Czech Republic).